The Late Grand Secretary.

hacl taken up his residence permanently in London , hc became a founder , and in due course M . E . Z ., of the Friends in Council Chapter , No . 1383 . ' 1 S 78 he was appointed Grand Principal Sojourner of Supreme Grand Chapter , and in 1880 on his appointment as Grand Secretary he became at once ex-officio Grand Scribe E . He was advanced lo the Mark

Degree on the 15 th J " iie , 1 S 57 , in the lodge working under the now extinct Zetland Chapter of Malta . In 1878 he was installed W . M . of the Studholme Lodge , No . 197 , in 1880 he was appointed Junior Grand Warden ofthe Mark Grand Lodge , and in 1885 he filled the chair of A . in the Grand

Master ' s Lodge . In the Order of the Temple he attained to still higher rank , and at the time of his death and for many years previously he was Great Sub-Prior of the Great Priory of England and Wales and Provincial Prior of Suffolk . During the year 1 S 91 he installed Sir Knight Sir R . N . Howard as Provincial Prior of Dorsetshire . In the Ancient and

Accepted Rite he had , prior to his selection by the Prince of Wales for the post of Grand Secretary of United Grand Lodge , played a very important part in the proceedings of this Rite , having served as M . W . S . in the Ivor Hael Chapter , No . 34 , Newport ( Mon . ) , and having had conferred on him the 33 on the 13 th July , 1874 . For several years he held the

important post of Grand Secretary-General ; but , as we have alread y staled , he resigned this office early in 1880 , and was presented with a handsome gift of plate in recognition of the many valuable services he had rendered to this branch of Masonry . The meeting at which the presentation was made took place at the hall of the Supreme Council , 33 ,

in Golden-square . Bro . Capt . N . G . Philips , Lieut .-Grand Commander , in thc unavoidable absence of the Earl of Lathom , Sov .-Grand Commander , occupied the chair , and in presenting the plate , one part of which was the g ift of the Supreme Council , and the other that of the members of the various Degrees of the Rile , begged Col . Gierke ' s acceptance of it as a

" recognition of the valuable services rendered by you to the Order as Grand Secretary-General , and as a small token of the affection and esteem in which you are held by your colleagues of the Supreme Council and the members of the Ancient and Accepted Rite of Freemasonry for England and Wales and the Dependencies of the British Crown . " Among

the plate were a salver and an epergne , the former of which bore the inscription : "Presented to Lieut .-Col . Shadwell H . Clerke by his colleagues in the Supreme Council , 33 ° , for England and Wales and the Dependencies of the British Crown , in recognition of his valuable services as Grand Secretary-General . July , 18 S 0 . " The inscription on the epergne was as follows

" 1 his centre piece , with many other articles of plate , is presented to Lieut .-Col . Shadwell H . Clerke , 33 , by the members of the various Degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Rite for England and Wales and the Dependencies of the British Crown , as a mark of their appreciation of the valuable and honorary services rendered by him to the Order as its Grand

Secretary-General for nearl y seven years , and of the esteem in which he is personally held by them . July , 1880 . " Last year on the retirement of Bro . J . M . P . Montagu from thc office of Grand Chancellor Bro . Colonel Clerke was appointed as his successor . This office he still held , together with that of representative of the Supreme Council of Canada at our Supreme

Council . As regards our Charitable Institutions , it is needless to say that he took a deep interest in their welfare , and that on several occasions he had served thc office of Steward for one or other , a notable instance being in

1888 at thc Centenary Festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls when , as representative of the Friends in Council Lodge , hc had the satisfaction of handing over to the funds of that Charity one of ( he largest amounts raised by any London Steward .

Wc arc very far from having exhausted the list of actual or honorary distinctions which had been conferred upon Col . Clerke on sundry occasions when , as an Officer of Grand Lodge or Grand Chapter , or in some other official or private capacity , he rendered some service of greater or less moment to the Fraternity . But why need we trouble ourselves to

demonstrate still further a self-evident proposition ' . ' Our readers know full well that for thc last 20 years of his life our distinguished brother had devoted himself heart and soul to promoting , as far as lay in his power , the truest and best interests of every branch of our ancient and venerable Fraternity , lhey know he was no mere carpet knight , but one who had taken , was

taking up to the very close of his career , an active part in the more important and impressive duties of Freemasonry . 'lhey know , loo , that his services were forthcoming whenever he felt il was in his power to strengthen or extend the ramifications of the Order , and that nearl y every Craft lodge and Arch chapter in the Metropolitan

district , for which the Prince of Wales had granted his warrant , was consecrated by Colonel Clerke , as the representative of his Royal Highness in one or other of his capacities of Grand Master or Grand ' / .. A mere glance at thc "Occurrences" for 1 S 91 will show how exacting was this one particular class of duty , and that it was very far from

being the only kind of duty to which he willingly gave such time as he could snatch from thc still more responsible work at Freemasons ' Hall . However , we must not prolong this memoir , which is long enough for its more immediate purpose of making generally known what he did for Freemasonry , and yet all too short to give a perfect idea of ihe man

and his absolute and entire devotion to our Order . But though wc bid a final adieu to him we saw and spoke to but yesterday , the memory of his services will live and this memory wc shall cherish , and wc venture to think the Craft in its entirety will cherish , while the faculty of remembering what is good and worthy remains .

T I-I E F U N Ii K A L . The remains of ihe lamented Grand Secretary were consigned to tlieir last earthl y resting place on Wednesday , and probably a larger number of brethren had never been gathered together at thc obsequies of a Freemason .

The Late Grand Secretary.

Notwithstanding that heavy rain fell in the night and from an early hour in the morning continuously , above 200 brethren were present at the cemetery gates and in the cemetery to meet and then follow the corpse . The hearse conveying the remains of the deceased left Clifton Lodge , Farquharroad , Norwood , at 12 o ' clock , followed by four mourning coaches . The

body , which •was first encased 111 a leaden shell , was enclosed in a coffin of polished oak , with brass mountings , and bore the inscription— "Shadwell Henry Clerke . Died Christmas Day , 1 S 91 . " Upon and around the coffin were a larg-e number of beautiful wreaths , for the most part composed of lilies and other white flowers ,

occasionally mingled with English and Neapolitan violets , some of the wreaths being made up in figures having a distinct Masonic significance . The hearse was followed by four mourning coaches , the first of which contained the two chief mourners—Mr . St . John S . Clerke and Mr . A . B . Clerketogether with Mr . Larkin , Colonel Shadwell , and Colonel Beresford . In

the second coach were Mr . Aubrey St . John Clerke , Mr . John Beresford , and Mr . Charles Beresford ; the third contained Mr . Milner , Col . Hare , and Mr . Geoghan ; and in the fourth were Captain Ramsay Stuart , Mr . Donald Stuart , and Mr . Wykes . Among the carriages which followed were those of Dr . Turner , the medical attendant of the deceased , and Col . Strachan .

His Royal Higness the Prince of Wales , as Grand Master , was represented by the Grand Registrar , Bro . F . A . Philbrick , O . C . His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught was represented by Col . Egerton . The Earl of Lathom , as Pro Grand Master , was represented by thc President of the Board of General Purposes , Bro . Thomas Fenn , and the Grand Lodge was

represented by Bro . Sir John B . Monckton , Past Grand Warden , and Robert Grey , President of the Board of Benevolence . The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons was represented bv Col . A . B . Cook , the President

of the General Board . The Supreme Council of the 33 was represented by Captain N . G . Philips and Col . Money . The National Great Priory of the Temple was represented by Bro . George Cooper , Grand Sub-Marshal .

Bro . Frank Richardson , P . G . D ., who had so often acted as D . C . at thc ceremonies in which his deceased friend has taken the leading part , had on this occasion been requested by the Grand D . of C , Sir Albert Woods , to take charge of the arrangements , being assisted by Bro . J . H . Matthews , P . A . G . D . C .

The greater number of brethren present were there in their individual capacity , but amongst the provinces and lodges represented may be mentioned the following : West Yorkshire , represented by Bro . XV . K . Smithson , P . G . D . Staffordshire—Col . Foster Gough , LL . D ., Prov . G . M . Sussex-Sir W . Marriott , M . P ., O . C , D . Prov . G . M . Kent-Bro . J . S . Eastes ,

D . Prov . G . M . Surrey—Colonel Money , Prov . G . M . Hampshire and Isle of Wight—Bro . Le Feuvre , D . Prov . G . M . Amongst thc lodges represented were the Shadwell Clerke Lodge—Bro . G . J . Reed , S . W . ; Sphinx Lodge—Bro . B . Bryant , P . M . ; Duke of Albany Lodge—Bro . R . J . Voisey , P . M . ; La France Lodge—Bro . Eugene Monteuuis , P . M ., Sec . ; Emulation Lodge

of Improvement—Bro . W . G . Kentish , Sec . ; William Shurmur Lodge—Bro . George J . Westfield , P . M . ; Walthamstow Lodge of Instructionrepresented by thc same brother . Dublin Lodge ( I . C ) , of which the deceased was an hon . member , was represented by the W . M ., Bro . Sir Charles Cameron , and Bro . John Griffin , P . M . Many other representatives

were present of whom we were unable to take note . Bro . C . Fitzgerald Matier , Grand Secretary of Mark Master Masons , was prevented by serious illness from attending , as were also the following brethren from a similar cause : Bros . George Everett , Grand Treasurer ; Brackstone Baker , P . G . D . ; Hugh D . Sandeman , P . District G . M . Bengal ; Reginald St . A . Roumicu ,

Col . James Peters , P . G . S . B . ; Lennox Browne , Vice-President Board of General Purposes ; Capt . Williams Freeman , Representative from Grand Lodge of Egypt at Grand Lodge of England . Amongst those present were Bros . General Laurie , P . G . M . Nova Scotia ; Sir H . Isaacs , P . G . W . ; Rev .

Henry Lansdell , D . D ., G . Chap . ; Rev . J . I .. Simpson , P . G . Chap . ; Rev . Dr . Robbins , P . G . Chap . ; Very Rev . Dean Currie , Dean of Battle , P . G . C ; Dr . E . E . Wendt , Grand Sec . German Correspondence ; Dr . Ralph Gooding , P . G . D . ; R . F . Gould , P . G . D . ; Major J . Sampson Pierce ,

P . G . D . ; R . Loveland Loveland , P . G . D . ; Sir G . D . Hams , P . G . D . V . P . Freeman , P . G . D . ; J . L . Mather , P . A . G . D . C ; Charles Martin , P . A . G . D . C ; R . Clowes , G . Std . Br . ; H . A . Hunt , P . G . Supt . of Wks . j Charles H . Driver , P . G . Supt . of Wks . ; Charles Barry , G . Supt . of

Wks . ; James Terry , P . G . S . B ., Secretary R . M . B . I . ; b . R . W . Hedges , P . G . S . B ., Sec . R . M . I . G . ; John E . Dawson , P . G . S . B . ; C F . Hogard , P . G . Std . Br . ; W . Ganz , P . G . O . ; C . S . Jekyll , P . G . O . ; A . A . Pendlebury , Asst . G . Sec ; W . Hopekirk , P . G . P . ; H . Garrod , P . G . P . ; D . D . Mercer ,

P . G . P . ; H . Sadler , G . Tyler ; | . M . McLeod , Sec . R . M . I . B . ; Capt . T . C . Walls , P . P . G . W . Middx . ; A . Buck , P . P . S . G . W . Essex ; J . Hattersley , P . G . D . Bucks ; George Kenning , P . G . D . Middx . ; J . P . Fitzgerald , C . E . Keyser , T . II . Gardiner , W . J . Spratling , Dr . Zacharie , W . Lake , J . D .

Langton , J . J . Marsh , W . A . Scurrah , James Stevens , George Read , H . E . Bussey , H . Massey , Gordon Miller , Major Probyn , and others . In addition to the Assistant Grand Secretary , the whole of the staff of the Grand Lodge Oflice , viz ., Bros . W . Dodd , W . H . Lee , Neville Green , A . ] . Berry , Hoit , G . S . Recknell , and J . Hodgins were also present .

Among the wreaths which had been sent on the occasion were , one with an inscription , " From Thomas William Tew , Provincial Grand Master ; Henry Smith , Deputy Provincial Grand Master ; William F . Smithson , Past Grand Deacon England , and Senior G . Warden ; and the

brethren of ihe Province of West Yorks . A token of personal regard and high esteem . With deep sympathy to Mrs . Gierke and family ; " one from Sir Lionel and Lady Darell , and others from the Grand Lodge ot Mark Master Masons , Bro . George Everett , Grand Treasurer ; thc Man-